Let me start off by saying I have never had a bad experience with Bataleon snowboards or customer service until recently. Furthermore, I've been nothing but RAVING about them since I got my first Evil Twin back in 2008.

(Also I apologize for the rant-style of this review)

I've been a childrenís' snowboard instructor/freestyle coach for the past 4 years and received a proform for the past 2 seasons. Last season I ordered an Artist Edition Evil Twin and rode it only on powder days and cruising days when I didn't have lessons (as I didn't want this board to get as beat up as my Fun.Kink). Fast forward to the beginning of this season during Christmas break I took a weird fall and discovered I broke the skinny aluminum base on my Ride Alphas (not surprised as they seemed weak and had 2+ seasons on them). So as I go back into the locker room to throw my backup bindings on the board I notice on the heelside edge of the board there was a 3 inch section that was delaminating from the topsheet AND base. Also towards the tail there was a crack in the topsheet and apparently it warped the board as I felt a slight bubble on the base. Thanks Santa!

So December 25th I email Bataleon with the same story and about 8 pictures of the board showing it was clearly not from impact and should hopefully be under warranty. A week passes with no reply. I think "no biggie, its Christmas I'm sure everyone was on vacation".
An additional week and a half passes (January 10th) and still no reply, so I decided to call. I spoke to the guy I've usually talked to and simply told him that my board has a double delamination and a topsheet crack thatís effecting the base and if itís covered under warranty. He said, "I'm looking at your email now, the photos aren't coming through". So i sent him another set of photos right after the phone conversation and he replied the same night to send the board back and we'll get it replaced.

After a week I say my goodbyes to my beautiful Love and War Evil Twin and send her out (January 17th).

Two weeks pass and I've heard nothing. So I send an email out on Sunday, February 3, asking if thereís any status on the warrantied board, have they received mine, have they sent a new one out? I call later that night with no answer. I call the day after with no answer. I call the Tuesday after with no answer. I call the Wednesday after with again, no answer. I then realize, "Hey! I have a tracking address from when I sent my board out!" I check that and I'm in shock; the board attempted to ship to their main office 5 times without anyone there to accept the package. At this point I'm scared because I don't want to 1: Lose my board in the mail or 2: Have to wait for the board to ship back to the east coast and do this all over again.

Finally, I get an email back the next morning (February 7th), they apologized and said they've been away at the X-Games and tradeshows. I'm relieved at this point because they aren't completely ignoring me, and as a die-hard snowboarder, I too would drop everything and focus on the X-Games. In that same email they said they should receive the board and get it replaced that day. Woooo, I replied apologizing for seeming anxious and I asked if they could send me a heads up or tracking number when they send the board out.

February 22: Okay, ANOTHER 2 weeks pass and nothing, no email, no board in the mail (gave it two weeks because the cheapest post can take 7-14 days to ship coast to coast, mind you they never replied to my last email). So this time I skip the email as it seems the best way to get a direct response is by calling. Talked to the same guy and asked about the status of the board and if they have a tracking number so I could see where it is. He tells me to hold on *insert audible clicking of a computer mouse and typing here*, "You had the Evil Twin Artist Edition right? Yea we donít have any more of those." to myself I'm thinking of course not, I never assumed you did thatís why I was so sad to lay my board to rest a month ago. I asked if they sent one out, "We have not, I'm going to go downstairs and see if we have anything in your size". At this point I'm kind of furious because for two weeks---actually--TWO MONTHS I've been sitting around, teaching on a shitty Burton rental thinking a board was incoming.
At lack of anything nice to say I say "Okay, yea thatíd be great. But can you PLEASE send me a tracking address when you send this board out. Thanks goodbye."

March 1st, 66 days after putting my old Evil Twin down to rest, I got this yearís Evil Twin in the mail. I now question if I'll ever go back to Bataleon after this horrendous experience with customer service. If I should take back all the great things I've said to all my students and other instructors I work with. An instructor I work with had an edge blow out on his DC, the guys there said "Hey make it into an awesome bench!" a week later he has a new board. I really question my loyalty with Bataleon after this and feel like anyone; instructor or average Joe, deserves a lot more respect.

<tr;dr> After being loyal to Bataleon for 5 years, I think this experience has dramatically changed how I view their company.

I'm pretty sure on every proform it states quite clearly that you are forbidden to discuss it to shops and the general public. You my friend are airing your dirty laundry with a company who have helped you out numerous times on a public internet forum.

Just for that, you deserve everything you get, I only wish people like you could be banned from pro-form use because they give the people that appreciate it a bad name.

You got hooked up, guess what, you are bottom of the totem pole when it comes to warranty claims - your lucky that board even has a warranty.

You don't want to be bottom of the pole? pay full price like everybody else.

I don't think the fact that he used a pro form should matter. When I worked at a ski shop when I was younger I always used proforms. To me working for crappy pay was worth the discounted lift tickets and pro forms. I had an issue with a board that was damaged in the mail from a pro form order. The company sent me out another board right away. No matter how you get a board if the customer service is bad then your most likely not going to want to rep company.

Snowboard companies look at proforms almost as a way to get the shop workers on there boards and then(if they like the board) sell it to the public.

I don't think the fact that he used a pro form should matter. When I worked at a ski shop when I was younger I always used proforms. To me working for crappy pay was worth the discounted lift tickets and pro forms. I had an issue with a board that was damaged in the mail from a pro form order. The company sent me out another board right away. No matter how you get a board if the customer service is bad then your most likely not going to want to rep company.

Snowboard companies look at proforms almost as a way to get the shop workers on there boards and then(if they like the board) sell it to the public.

Ya, actually it does matter. Most companies have differing warranty programs for this kind of purchase.

I know what a proform is son - and i'm not talking about a shop form, or a board damaged in the mail. This is a used snowboard sent in for a warranty claim after a fall big enough to break aluminium bindings. Like I said, bottom of the pile after the full price paying customers.

This is a used snowboard sent in for a warranty claim after a fall big enough to break aluminium bindings. Like I said, bottom of the pile after the full price paying customers.

To reiterate; those bindings been thru 2+ full seasons of heavy freestyle riding. At the end of last season the ankle straps blew out and i noticed small cracks around the base. http://i45.tinypic.com/fmndea.jpg
That fall i took didnt cause the damage to the board (i knuckled on a 25-30ft jump if you must know) it just happened to lead me into inspecting my board closely and noticing the defects.

The fact is i felt ignored and disrespected. Especially since they never contacted me back, EACH time i had to be the one to email/call them after plenty time has passed.

I'm pretty sure on every proform it states quite clearly that you are forbidden to discuss it to shops and the general public. You my friend are airing your dirty laundry with a company who have helped you out numerous times on a public internet forum.

Just for that, you deserve everything you get, I only wish people like you could be banned from pro-form use because they give the people that appreciate it a bad name.

You got hooked up, guess what, you are bottom of the totem pole when it comes to warranty claims - your lucky that board even has a warranty.

You don't want to be bottom of the pole? pay full price like everybody else.

Bullshit. What kind of backwards ass thinking is this?

If I have a board, regardless of how much I paid or who I got it from, and it breaks due to a manufacture defect, I should be entitled to a new board.

bataleons used to be built like a tank...were talking quadrax laminates, top and bottom, and carbon, even on all their park boards. They used to be exceptional, now they're just standard (although TBT is still good).

In 2013, even their top of the line only have triax laminates and 2014 will drop their two top end boards, entirely (enemy and undisputed).

I guess CS has taken a drop, as well. Back in 2008, when I emailed them about info on a Riot, they got back to me within the same day. Not saying bataleon is now bad, but they're definitely not what they used to be.

I just got a 2013 Airobic...the build quality looks absolutely flawless up close (haven't ridden it), but I hope it doesn't turn out to be a POS.

oh ok. well then I understand being on the bottom of the totem pole. but once they initiated contact, your entire ordeal shoulda been handled within 10 days. or should have been told we won't have any of that model for 2 months want anything different...but once a claim is started to be handled the way it was is ridiculous.